Meet-cute
by Cow-ard-Me
Summary: AU. Christmas time means throngs of people milling around the malls. Can it also bring pleasant surprises?


**AN:** This fic was started with the idea of being submitted for Dirty December, for the extra week in January to be more specific. I never got around to finishing it on time. I know the holidays have been over for a while, but since I've finally finished it, I decided to post it and share it with you guys anyway. Hope you enjoy it!

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**Meet-cute**

She has always loved Christmas. She likes the lights, the smell, the merriment, the opening of presents and the smiles in people's faces. Truth be told, it had all probably started with seeing her baby's sisters toothy smile the first Christmas she got to actually opening her presents and understanding the meaning of it. Primrose has such a beautiful smile. Yes, Katniss loves Christmas.

However, she HATES buying gifts. She can't stand the crowds of people pushing each other and being generally impolite. Isn't Christmas supposed to be a time of joy, of sharing? Well, that apparently only applies when people are with their own families.

Anyway, she prefers to buy her presents online and be done with it. Nevertheless, her sister has always been known for altering Katniss' plans. Prim fell in love with a jacket she saw at the mall in one of her outings with her friends and no matter how many links with jacket options Katniss has sent so Prim can choose one, her little sister says that the jacket she saw at the mall is the one she wants.

Of course, what Prim wants, Prim gets. It has always been like that, since they were children. There is nothing Katniss won't do to make her sister happy. That being the reason why she is braving the crowds of people this afternoon.

She has already gotten the damn jacket. She has to admit the thing is actually cute and Prim will look great in it. For a moment there, Katniss considered giving Prim a gift certificate so she could go and get the jacket herself. Now she is happy she opted to come and get it. The surprise in Prim's eyes will be worth it.

Yesterday she'd had a difficult day at work and after Prim had refused yet another batch of options -insisting she'd already seen the jacket she wanted, Katniss lost her temper and said, "You are being stubborn. A jacket's a jacket so you better choose something I can get online or you are not getting anything from me!" Prim retorted, "Look who's being stubborn!" And then she hung up.

At the end of the day, the guilt had caught up with Katniss and she decided that she'd just have to suck it up and go to the mall to get what Primrose wanted. Her little sister has always been understanding and loved getting gift certificates. She claims it is even better since she can get whatever she feels like. It's made Katniss' life easier, but lately she's gotten to understand that making the people you love happy is more important than trying to make everything easy.

She is now trying to get to the exit before she gets any bruises when she passes in front of the pajamas section. She's been meaning to get a new set of pajamas for a while now, but she's been busy at work and buying presents online so her pajama needs have been neglected. She sees a pattern that catches her eyes and reaches out to check if they are the right size. The moment her hand gets hold of the package, another set of hands takes hold of it as well.

She looks up and is surprised to find a pair of gorgeous blue eyes looking back at her. Without letting go of the pajamas she says, "I'm sorry, but I saw this first."

The guy just smiles at her and moves his head to the side as if trying to read her. "How can you know? I've been standing here and looking for a while and, as it turns out, this is the only large set I've found so, you couldn't have possible seen them before I did."

Katniss' gray eyes open up larger. "These ones are large? Then, these are definitely the ones I need." She pulls on the package, trying to free it from the guy's hand, but he's got a very strong hold on it.

"But we've already clarified that I saw these ones first." He insists.

"Yes, but I'm pretty sure you'd be able to fit and be comfortable in the extra-large size…" She says and the guy raises his eyebrow at her, daring her to finish, which she does anyway. "…while I'll be swollen by the extra-large ones."

The guy has the audacity to laugh at her. "I don't know if you've noticed, but these are pajamas for MEN." He probably sees in her face she is getting ready to reply to that. "And while I agree you can wear whatever you want, I'm pretty sure even the small size will be too big for you."

"Well, I'll have you know that I only use the top half of the set, but if I get anything smaller than the large, I don't feel comfortable."

"What a remarkable coincidence! I only wear the bottom half to sleep in. Seeing as this is the only large set, why don't we both pay for it and each of us will get the piece we actually use?" He suggests.

Katniss looks reluctantly at him. "I don't feel comfortable with that. I don't even know you."

"Well, apparently you don't feel comfortable with a lot of things." He states. "But I'll show my willingness to make this deal work." He takes hold of the pajamas with his left hand and extends his right hand. "The name is Peeta. Peeta Mellark."

Katniss sighs exasperated, but she has to accept that the guy has a charming smile and he could be an asshole about the whole thing, but he isn't being one. She switches hands just like he did and takes his hand. "Katniss. Katniss Everdeen."

"Nice too meet you, Miss Everdeen."

She knows she should be nice. I mean, the guy's idea is not completely crazy. She always ends up giving the pants of the pajamas she buys to Gale and Peeta Mellark did offer to pay for half of the set. She knows she should be nice, but she ends up rolling her eyes.

"OK. Now that you know my name, do we have a deal?" Peeta insists.

"I don't know… I mean, doesn't it sound weird to you that you'll be wearing your pajama pants and having no idea where the other half of the set is?"

Peeta just shrugs and says, "I might not know where it is, but I'll know Katniss Everdeen has it." He leant in closer to her. "Or you can always come to my place and see for yourself where the other half of your pajamas will be."

Her eyes look like saucers, she is SO shocked. She lets go of the pajamas. "Go to hell! You can keep the pajamas." With that she walks away. She knew there were millions of reasons why she always opted to avoid malls.

Ω

She is putting the finishing touches on dinner when she hears her apartment's door open and close and then being locked. She smiles, but doesn't turn around. She just checked the oven and is closing it when she feels a pair of arms close around her waist.

"Whatever we're having for dinner smells delicious." The guy whispers in her ear and then inhales deeply. "But you smell even better."

She turns around and puts on her most annoyed face. "You are such a jerk!" She punches his chest, but can't help appreciating how solid and strong he feels.

"Ouch! Cause I think you smell better than dinner?" He says letting go of her and taking a step back.

"How do I know you don't go around propositioning every woman you meet in malls? I mean, you LOVE malls!" She replies; she takes her hands to her hips in her don't-mess-with-me pose.

"I love malls because I met you in one!" He clarifies. "And why in hell would I want to proposition some stranger when I have you to come home to?"

She feels her heart melting like every time he says something cute like that. She loves the way he says things that don't sound at all rehearsed and seem to come from his heart. He's always had such a way with words.

"Plus, when you told me you'd be at the mall, I thought it'd be fun to recreate the way we met; if only to cheer you up." He explains.

"You took some artistic liberties."

"Well, I know you a LOT better now. Last year I couldn't make any smart-ass remarks if I wanted any chance at seeing you again." He kisses her nose. "God knows it took me a while to finally get you to agree to have a coffee with me! Today you were extremely rude, though."

She launches herself at him; her arms go around his neck and her legs around his waist. He's learnt to be prepared for this kind of behavior because who knows when she'll be in a playful mood. Without missing a bit, he secures her body to his with his arms under her buttocks.

She attacks his mouth with a fiery kiss. She doesn't let go till she feels the need to breath. "God, even after a year, I can't believe we actually met buying pajamas!" She laughs, nipping at his bottom lip.

"What I can't believe is that after playing hard to get for almost three months, you and I have been sharing pajamas for six months." He says matter-of-factly while nuzzling her nose with his own.

"Peeta…" She moans. He looks into her eyes. "I need you… badly." She bites on her bottom lip for effect. His eyes turn a darker shade of blue and he starts turning around… "No! Right here, right now. I want you to take me hard on the counter where you knead the dough for my cheese buns."

Peeta groans and carries her to the counter wasting no time in sitting her there. "God, what's got you so kinky tonight?"

"YOU! Do you have any idea what I've been thinking about since I left you at the mall?" He raises his eyebrows, letting her know she's got his attention. "I've been thinking about you pushing inside of me with no restrain till you have me screaming loud enough to piss Mrs. Trinket off." While she was making her wishes known, she made sure to open up his belt buckle and the button of his pants.

"You got it!" He is already between her legs, so he just gets her skirt out of his way, the same as the crotch of her panties and wastes no time sliding into her. She cries out loudly and he stills, enjoying the feeling of her walls clenching around him, fighting his intrusion.

He also wants to give her time to adjust to him. He normally likes taking his time to make her ready for him, but tonight she seemed to be in a hurry. Thank God she'd been thinking about this all afternoon! It showed in how wet she was, it made his entry easier, smoother. Even after the months they have been together, it still surprises him the way her body responds to him.

He feels her hands squeezing his shoulders. "Don't stop… please, don't stop…" She's trying to push him off her and get him to move. "I want it hard right now."

He's got a strong hold on her hips. She wants it hard, she'll get it hard. "Mall shopping really gets to you, uh?" He teases her as her starts moving in and out of her in fast and hard motions. The force he's using can be heard on his shallow breathing. "You normally get like this only when I've made you angry in some way."

She laughs "I must be doing something wrong if you haven't noticed everything about you makes me horny." Her laugh immediately turns to a groan when he pushes even harder into her. One of her hands takes hold of the edge of the counter and the other flies to the cabinets over her head. She's trying to stay on the edge of the counter where it's easier for him to get all the way into her. God, she loves the way he fills her!

She feels his thumb drawing slow circles around her clit and she whimpers at the overload of sensation. She throws her head back and just when she thinks her body is about to explode, she feels his lips wrapping around her nipple. And then there's nothing she can do to slow her body down. She screams out his name the moment her climax hits her.

There she is. He doesn't think there's a better view than watching her come. Her features soften and she gets this satisfied smile. He loves knowing he's the man making her feel that way. He'll do everything in his power to make sure there'll be no other one, ever. He's planning on being in her life for the long run, even if she doesn't know it yet.

Right then, she opens her eyes and looks straight at him. He pulls out just a little, pushes back in till he's nestled all the way in, and that's when he lets go. He feels one of her hands at the back of his neck bringing his face closer to hers and she kisses him. She's gotten all soft and sweet now, just like she always does after sex.

The oven timer goes off indicating that dinner is ready. She leans back to look at him and then she looks down at herself. She sees the wet stop on her blouse left behind when he suckled on her through her clothes. "Fuck!" She pushes him off her and hops off the counter.

She starts storming out the kitchen and he's hot on her heels. "You are not seriously mad because of the stain on your blouse, are you?" Leave it to Katniss to demand sex on the spot and get angry just after they're done because he couldn't restrain himself in the moment of passion.

His statement stops her on the stop. She turns around right on the doorway of their bedroom and reaches out to touch his cheek. "It's not that. When I looked at my clothes, I remembered why I'd put this on."

He hadn't taken the time to notice that she wasn't wearing the same clothes she'd worn to work and he'd seen her in at the mall. She had dressed up a little bit. He tilts his head to the side. "Why did you?"

"Prim is coming over for dinner. She's bringing Rory too. And we look like we just had sex." She explains.

"Maybe because we just did." He says, turning his face a little and kissing the hand that was still caressing his cheek.

"Yeah… well, now I have to change." She turns around and gets into the room. "And you have to, at least, clean up if you don't want to change." She looks over her shoulder when she says that.

He starts loosening his tie. "Is this a formal dinner?"

"Nope. Just my sister and her boyfriend having dinner with us before the craziness of the holidays and family events start." She takes her blouse off.

He gets behind her and wraps his arms around her waist. He kisses her shoulder. "Can't we just lounge on jeans and a comfy sweater or something? I really don't want to put on any more dress pants for what's left of the week."

"You can wear whatever you want. It's just Prim and Rory." She's unzipping her skirt and letting it fall to the floor.

He turns towards the bed and sits down bringing Katniss to sit on his lap. "If you wear another skirt and blouse, I'll be all night thinking about what I did to you while you were wearing the ones you've just taken off." He emphasizes his sentence by bringing one of his hands to the crotch of her panties and running his fingers along the soaked fabric.

Katniss rests her head on his shoulder while a soft moan escapes her lips. "Fuck! I'm still so wet for you."

He is now touching her bare and slick skin. "I can tell." He kisses her neck some more.

"Peeta… Prim will be here anytime." She wants him to keep touching her, but they are late already and they do have to get changed. She's never been more thankful for her sister's unpunctuality; she and Rory were supposed to arrive ten minutes ago.

He takes his hand out of her panties and brings his fingers to her lips. She doesn't hesitate to suck them clean. "I guess we'll have to continue this later then."

"Oh, we will!" She assures him. She stands up and brings him with her to the bathroom. "We need to clean up NOW." And just like that, she's all business again.

They clean up and get change in a few short minutes. Katniss decided to go with his idea of comfy clothes and is just putting on the warm cashmere sweater he gave her for her birthday when she hears a knock on their apartment door. She looks around the room for Peeta, but he's nowhere to be seen.

She walks out of their bedroom and down the hall. She's about to yell "I'm coming" when her mind tells her what Peeta would say "You already did" so she decides to say nothing. The moment she gets to the door she sees Peeta cleaning up the counter. That's another thing she loves about him, how thoughtful he is.

She opens the door and greets her guests. Peeta gets out of the kitchen and hugs Prim. "We were starting to think you would stand us up."

Prim laughs and slaps his shoulder. Peeta holds his hand out to Rory who says, "You know that when Prim says 7, she really means 7:15 at the earliest."

Prim sends Rory a hard glare. "Very funny."

"Not trying to be funny. I'm just being honest." Rory defends. He leans down and kisses Prim's temple.

"Let's sit on the living room." Peeta suggests. "Can I offer you guys something to drink? Dinner is ready. We just didn't get around to setting up the table."

"I'll have a glass of whatever it is we are drinking with dinner." Prim replies while taking a seat on the sofa. She sees a shopping bag on the coffee table and reaches for it. "What's this?" She doesn't wait for an answer; she's already peering into the bag. She takes out what's in the bag. "Pajamas? You're giving Peeta pajamas for Christmas?" She turns to look at Peeta. "I hope she's giving you more in the bedroom department."

"Prim!" Katniss takes the pajamas and puts them back in the bag.

"What? You live together. It's not like I don't know you have sex."

"I'll have a beer if you have it." Rory says trying to change the subject.

"Coming up." Peeta turns towards the kitchen. When he's at the door, he says, "By the way, Prim, she IS giving me more." He winks at her. "I'm the one who bought us the pajamas."

Prim looks confused for a second and then realization downs on her. "Oh, that's right! You guys met buying pajamas and SHARE them now."

Katniss wants to be embarrassed by the exchange her sister and her boyfriend just had, but the truth is she loves that they have a comfortable relationship and that Peeta is never too shy for Prim. Also, she can't stop thinking about the fact that Peeta ended up buying the pajamas they 'argued' about at the mall this afternoon. He's such a sap and she loves him for it.

Christmas shopping at malls might annoy her to no end, but she met the man she's in love with at a mall while shopping for Christmas so, she'll never see the season or the place the same way. She'll always be grateful because he's in her life now. She's not letting him go. He's the one who makes her want all the things she always thought she didn't need. Her life feels complete now and she knows it's all because of him.


End file.
